


An AU for Selima

by Whoviana2



Category: Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Human Aziraphale (Good Omens), I don't know how businesses work don't worry about it, M/M, YOUR HONOR THIS SLUT IS IN LOVE, there wasn't going to be angst in this originally but I couldn't help myself there's a little bit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-08-13 08:03:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20170909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whoviana2/pseuds/Whoviana2
Summary: AU- A human Aziraphale goes to make a deal with a demon and meets Crowley.Is it fluff? Yes. Is it crack? Maybe a little bit. Does it make me smile? Absolutely yes.Written for a Twitter mutual. I haven't come up with a title yet.WIP





	An AU for Selima

Aziraphale adjusted his bowtie and frowned, double checking the summoning circle. "Well, I'm asking for something harmless. How badly could it possibly go?" He muttered to himself.

He was in the back room of his bookshop. On his desk were several old tomes on the topic of demonology, and beside them were several pages of detailed notes in perfect handwriting. The only mistake on any of them was a drop of cocoa on the second page.

He returned to his work on the ritual, meticulous in every detail. One thing the tomes had been rather vague on was what happened if you did the ritual incorrectly. They only implied that something bad happened. Aziraphale didn't like not knowing what that would be, but he supposed it didn't really matter, since he wouldn't do it wrong. He had a steady hand and the circle and sigils had been simple, and his Latin was near flawless. He wasn't great at conjugating, but you don't need to conjugate to recite a passage from a book.

When Aziraphale completed the ritual, nothing happened for a few moments. Then, without any sort of smoke or sound or ominous effect that he'd been expecting, a man appeared in the circle. He was thin, ridiculously so. He wore all black. He had red hair and his expression was difficult to read past the large black sunglasses he wore, but Aziraphale guessed that that look on his face was irritation.

The bookshop owner cleared his throat and offered a nervous smile. "Hello there."

The man- the demon- raised an eyebrow. "Hi. I didn't know any records of this ritual still existed." He looked at the circle. "Nice work, Mister...?"

"Aziraphale."

The demon nodded. "Name's Crowley. But I imagine you knew that, looks like you did your research. What can I help you with, Aziraphale?"  
Aziraphale looked a bit sheepish. "I'm afraid it may seem a bit foolish to you."  
Crowley just shrugged. "Most things do, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're not worth anything."

"That's... a surprisingly thoughtful statement coming from a demon." Aziraphale looked at Crowley with genuine surprise.

The demon raised an eyebrow slightly. "Well, as the only demon who's been on Earth since the Beginning, I find I have rather a lot of time for thinking."  
Aziraphale blinked. He wasn't quite sure what to make of that statement. "Wouldn't that make you several billion years old?"  
Crowley laughed. "Nah. Around six thousand. Scientists haven't quite figured everything out. But I assume you didn't summon me to ask about that, hmm?"

"Well, no, I..."

"So what is it that you want, Mister Aziraphale? Fame, fortune, power?"

He hesitated, then spoke softly. "Love."

The demon smirked a bit. "Love? That's awfully vague. From who? Have you got your eye on someone?"

"That's not quite what I mean, no." Aziraphale explained. "I have so much love to give, I always have, but I've grown rather weary of never receiving any. I'm alone. I just want anyone to show me the love that I have for everyone."

Crowley was silent for a few moments, surprised by the genuine kindness of this man. It was something he hadn't seen in a very, very long time. And for a demon, a long time is really a VERY long time. "Well. Now that is unusual. I'm not quite sure how to do that."

The human frowned. "Ah. I see. Well, I'm sorry to have bothered you."

"Not at all. Actually you got me out of a call from Dagon, so I appreciate it. But I didn't say I couldn't do it. I am supposed to do what I can. I'd get in quite serious trouble if I didn't." He leaned against the invisible wall of the summoning circle, since he couldn't leave it until a deal was made or the circle was destroyed. "How about this. I'll stay with you for a few days, learn what I can about you and your life, and see if I can figure out the best way to grant your request, and then you and I can work out the specifics after that. Deal?" He flicked his forked tongue and smirked.

Aziraphale thought this over for awhile. It would be a bit unusual- okay, very unusual- to have a demon living with him, even temporarily. But at least he wouldn't be alone for that time, even if there was nothing the demon could do. He nodded. "Deal."

Crowley grinned and the summoning circle flashed yellow, then vanished. "Excellent. I'll have to go back to my own apartment once a day to look after the houseplants, but I assume I won't be missing much. Do you have any tea?"

Aziraphale blinked at the circle in surprise, then looked at Crowley. "Afraid not, I have cocoa though, if that's alright. I can pick up some tea at the shop tomorrow. Wait, houseplants?"

"What? Even demons need hobbies. And cocoa will do just fine." He smiled and sat on the couch, positioning himself in a rather ridiculous pose.

Aziraphale nodded slowly and went to put on the kettle.

\---

"Do demons need to sleep?" Aziraphale asked from his desk. He'd been cataloging a few new antique books he'd gotten in, checking for damage. He asked his question without looking up.

Crowley was reclining on the couch in yet another position that seemed almost impossible to Aziraphale, looking up at the ceiling and seemingly doing nothing. "Hm? No, but we can. I quite enjoy it. I think I'm the only one. I sometimes sleep for a few decades at a time."

Aziraphale looked over at him then. "Oh, will you need a bed then? I could sleep on the couch, or..."

"Nah. I haven't read a book in a few centuries, maybe I'll spend the night reading."

Aziraphale smiled brightly, so brightly that Crowley almost thought there was glare on the lenses of his sunglasses. "Oh, that's lovely! Would you like me to put together a pile of recommendations for you? It's no trouble, really, I'd be delighted to do it."

Crowley looked over and opened his mouth to decline, but stopped when he saw the look on Aziraphale's face. "Uh, yeah, sure. Why not. I wouldn't know where to start anyway.   
Thanks."

Aziraphale nodded and smiled. "Of course. I'm very happy to help."

Crowley chuckled a bit. "I can tell, yeah. I've been alive for a long time and met a lot of people. You're the most pleasant, kind, delightful person I've ever known. You're better than most angels. Maybe all of them."

The bookseller looked back at him again in surprise, taking off his little round reading glasses. "Really? What are angels like then?"

"Ugh, stuffy. Efficient." He hissed that word like it was a terrible insult. "Imagine a boring office full of boring people. Now imagine it's all in white and gold and silver. It goes on forever. And all the office workers think you're a dumbass and that they're infinitely better than you. That's heaven, that's angels."

Aziraphale frowned. Putting aside the question in his mind about how a demon knew about the workings of offices, (The truth was that Crowley had helped invent the cubicle. It had been praised in Hell for a decade.) he didn't think it was possible that he was in any way better than angels. "I think that there might be a bit of demonic bias in there, hmm?"

The demon huffed. "Oh, probably. But it's not as if I wanted this. I was an angel, once. I helped create the stars. All I did wrong was ask 'why' one too many times. And here I am. An eternity in damnation for asking questions!"

Aziraphale just stared at him. "I'm sorry, I... I didn't intend to upset you."

Crowley sighed. "You haven't done anything wrong. I haven't... I've not talked to anyone about this in millennia, and... I'm still angry about it. I don't even know what my name was then, when I was one of them. They took that from me as well. I built galaxies and now I'm vilified forever as the evil, wily serpent. All sin is my fault, apparently."

"Wait, that was you?"

"Yeah. It was almost a rebellion against Hell. I did it because I thought it was good, not because I thought it was evil. I've never told anyone that before actually. I never wanted this. But there's no going back." He sighed again, this time heavier and more resigned.

Everything was silent for a few long moments. Aziraphale looked at Crowley sadly. The demon had taken off his sunglasses for the first time and was looking at the ceiling again. 

The human couldn't see his eyes clearly, but he thought he saw tears welling up in the corners.

"Crowley... If you'e the only demon who stays on earth... Why not just... not do anything? Be neutral?"

Crowley sat up and looked at him. Aziraphale now saw his golden eyes with slitted pupils, like a snake. "I have to do all the demony shit. If I didn't and I was found out, I would be killed. Destroyed."

"But would you be found out? That's what I'm asking."

"Of course I..." His eyes widened. "Maybe not."

\---

"Oh, crumbs!" Aziraphale huffed irritably. He was having his breakfast at his desk and looking through his mail.

"What was that?" Crowley peered over from around a bookshelf. 

"Ah, well, it's nothing to be concerned about. Just a man who despises me is coming around and could possibly destroy my whole livelihood." He frowned into his mug of cocoa as if he was disappointed in it for not solving his problems. 

"I'm not an expert but that does sound like cause for significant concern."

"Gabriel Violet. He's in charge of the business on this street. Hates me, no idea why, I've never been anything but pleasant to him."

"I'm sure of that." Crowley mumbled. "What about him?"

"He's coming around soon. If I haven't made enough sales... I could lose the shop. This place is everything I've got. I even live here."

"Well, have you made enough sales?"

"Absolutely not. There's all sorts of... newfangled technology-books that people have now, they can get most books on their little tablet computers. Not many people come into an old antique bookstore anymore." Aziraphale sighed. "I suppose it would have been more practical to ask you for help with that, hmm? Too late I suppose." 

"Formally, yes. But he sounds like a dick and I'm perfectly free to fuck with him if I so choose." He smirked. "An inconvenience to him would technically count as demonic work even if it benefited you, especially since he's a businessman. So maybe I'll do that." 

"That's very kind of you." Aziraphale smiled. 

Crowley groaned. "I'm not, don't say that." 

Aziraphale rolled his eyes with a small smile. "If you insist." 

Crowley walked over from the other side of the shelf. "Do you have an explanation in mind for if he asks why a random man is now living in your bookshop?" 

The human frowned. "I hadn't thought of that. No I don't. Hmm."


End file.
